Roman Empire

600 B.C.- A.D. 500




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"But when our country had grown great through toil, when great kings had been vanquished in war, when Carthage, the rival of Rome's sway, had perished root and branch, then Fortune began to grow cruel..." -J.C. Rolfe


5 Most Important People

  1. Julius Caesar- He was a great leader and the greatest general from this era, he also crossed the Rubicon and conquered Rome.
  2. Spartacus- A slave himself that lead a slave revolt in 73 BC and six thousand slaves were crucified as a result of this action.
  3. Augustus Caesar- Called the "Exalted One" a title given to him by Octavian, he invented the census and was the first roman Imperator.
  4. Trajan- A spanish general that was a descendant of Julius Caesar and during his reign the Roman Empire was the largest.
  5. Hadrian- His reign lasted from 117 AD- 138 AD and during this time he built Hadrian's Wall to keep the Scots from invading Rome.

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The Pantheon: was a temple built to honor the gods of Rome.
5 Key Terms

  1. Census- A survey used to determine the population of an area and decide how much to tax the people, invented by Augustus Caesar.
  2. Plebians- In the Roman social system they were the common folk, the merchants, minor landowners and small farmers, they are citizens that don't vote.
  3. Aqueducts- They were pipes or channels that carried water over a long distance using gravity to keep the water moving by gradually sloping the pipe or channel.
  4. Patricians- These were the wealthy landowners, aristocrats and upper class in the Roman social system and had the exclusive right to some place in office.
  5. Veto- To reject a legislative movement or the right to reject a measure. Example: The bill was vetoed by the emperor.

Rome

The Roman Empire was vast and advanced for its time period. Romans sculpted beautiful artwork out of stone and constructed buildings using math that was ahead of their time, yet the buildings still stand today. Many of the world's best generals lived during this time period and helped to expand the Roman Empire. In addition, some of the best and worst emperors and leaders lived in this era. This next prargraphs will go over the rise and fall of the Roman Empire and some of the inventions and achievements made during this time.

It started on the Italian Peninsula and over time expanded to surround the Mediterranean Sea. Although, some of the roman culture was influenced by the Greeks, they were different in many ways. For example, the Romans had a social system with three levels. Patricians being the highest, were made up of land owners, aristocrats and the people with government positions. The second level was the Plebians which were made up of the common folk, the citizens who had no vote, farmers, merchants and the like. Lastly, there were the slaves, who would work to pay off a debt. Following this, the Romans also developed military roads for their soldiers. These roads were cobble stone and were made of many layers of packed down earth, clay, stones and sand. The roads made it easier for the army to move around fast and effeciently. In addition, one of the most practiced religions today was started during this era. This religion is Christianity. In fact, Jesus Christ was crucified by the Roman emperor Pontious Pilate. Finally, the Romans made many great achievements, but their success was not to last. The Romans downfall was due to the Julian Emperors who started the cycle of worse leaders. These leaders were insane and destroyed and neglected Rome.


In conclusion, the Rome expanded to be a great and successful empire for a time, but due to its bad choice of leaders it didn't survive. The Romans developed military tactics and road building skills that we use today. They constructed amazing monuments and beautiful sculptures that we admire today. All in all, the roman empire was the super power of its era and it proved that all great empires must have an end.

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Julius Caesar: One of the best generals of his time.
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The Colesseum: Built to stage brutal fights between gladiators.


Timeline for this Era:

1000 BC Latins settle along Tiber

753 BC Rome is built

509 BC The Republic is created

264 BC Rome expands to rule all of Italy

264 BC- 241 BC First Punic War

218 BC- 201 BC Second Punic War

149 BC-146 BC Third Punic War

49 BC Julius Caesar crosses the Rubicon

44 BC Ides of March

44 BC- 14 AD Age of Augustus

27 BC- 180AD Pax Romana




Links

Roman Empire
Ancient Rome
Origins of Roman Catholics
Ancient Rome For Kids
Ancient Roman Achievements For Kids
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Emperor Nero: the crazy emperor.
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The God of Jupiter: One of the many Gods in the roman's polytheistic religion.